The One Thing He Never Forgot
by dhbPATHWAY1997
Summary: My reunion for Percy and Annabeth in Son of Neptune. It's a more realistic, strategic way of how it might go, but still very fangirl-friendly, I assure you XD Please read and enjoy! :


**Percy's POV**

One arm slung around Hazel and the other around Frank, we made our way to the golden ship that gleamed in the early afternoon sun. The first thing I noticed about the ship: it was _huge_. I'm talking almost Titanic-sized. I knew that Leo Valdez and the other campers had been working on it for quite a while and I hadn't understood why it was taking so long until I'd seen how utterly humongous this thing was. Even the _Princess Andromeda_ paled in comparison to the gleaming ship that sat a few yards in front of us.

Slowly, a plank was lowered from the lowest deck of the ship. The sides of the massive _Argo II_ were so tall that I couldn't see anyone onboard, but I knew who I _wanted_ to see. I took my arms back from my new friends and waited anxiously, my eyes glued to the top of the plank.

"Camp Half-Blood?" called Reyna, my… Is "co-praetor" a real term? If it is, then that's what she was. "And Jason Grace?"

"Here!" yelled a voice, like Reyna was a homeroom teacher taking roll-call.

"Oh, and Jason's here, too!" called a girl's voice.

Frank and Hazel chuckled quietly beside me. I couldn't place the voice, but it couldn't be hers…

**Annabeth's POV**

I was pressed against the low wall of the opposite side of the _Argo II_, facing Camp Jupiter but not daring to go and peer over the edge. Seeing me almost cowering as I was, no one else had dared to approach the edge, either.

There seemed to be an empty eternity in which the world could have sat still and I'd have taken no notice, except for the occasional note of a bird's song or a rustling of the trees. Both camps seemed to be waiting for something, expecting something of someone. With a horrible jolt, I realized that they were waiting for me. My fellow campers were, anyway, and Jason.

Someone below cleared their throat softly. There was some unsure murmuring that I couldn't make out from what I was sure was a crowd of Roman campers, though there were only a couple of voices speaking. After a moment and another clearing of someone's throat, the same female voice that had called out to us before – Reyna, the praetor of Camp Jupiter, Jason had informed us shortly before leaving Manhattan – spoke to us again: "Send us your representative and Jason Grace."

So businesslike. So cold… Had the Romans just expected us to trade for Percy and be on our way? We couldn't do that, and they had to know that. There was another giant war coming up all too soon, and we knew for a fact that they needed our help. As much as I needed to see Percy… As much as I wanted to just drag him to the ship and leave as quickly as was possible, I knew it wasn't right. But with how Reyna spoke…

"Um… Annabeth?" I looked up, torn from my thoughts. "Are – are you okay?"

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Well… You're sort of our camp leader now. You and Percy have been, for quite a while…" Grover said, studying me with a look of concern.

I looked at him blankly.

"So… You sort of have to go down there."

I kept up my blank stare.

Grover looked worried and a little nervous. "Can you get up?"

For the first time, I noticed that I was no longer on my feet but curled in a ball, my back pressed into the golden paneling of the ship. The metal was warm and seemed to be burning through my orange camp shirt. My arms were wrapped around my knees and my elbows and hands were white with the strain. I was trembling and biting my lip, and I imagined I _definitely_ looked like a fitting camp leader.

"Uh… Do I have to?"

Grover's eyebrows shot up. He diverted his eyes and then brought them back to me. "Uh – yeah."

I chewed on my lip some more.

Grover sighed and looked around. When he spotted Piper, he beckoned her over. "Piper! Come here a minute?"

She looked at me worriedly, too, and came over quickly, sitting down next to me.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?" I lifted my eyes to hers. She looked purely concerned and more than a little sad. Worry was there, too, plainly, and I was glad that Grover had called upon _her_ to talk to me, above anyone else. I glanced at Grover a couple of times in a sort of timid way, hoping that Piper would get the message. "Oh…" she understood, thank the gods. "Grover, can you tell the praetor that she needs a minute? Give an excuse?"

Grover's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and anxiety. "I guess, but –"

"Thank you, now go!" Piper pushed him a little and Grover went over to where he'd been standing.

"Um… We need a minute," he said lamely. There was more murmuring from the Romans.

"Annabeth, what's the matter?" Piper asked, once some of the Greek demigods were muttering to each other and not staring at us as fixedly.

"P-Percy…" I managed.

"Percy? Well… He's here."

"He really is?" I asked, unsure.

She lifted an eyebrow dubiously. "You want me to check?" she asked sardonically.

Though it was sarcasm, I nodded. She looked at me like I was crazy, but stood up and walked over to the side of the _Argo II_. She stood on her tiptoes and peeked around. Then she stopped, turned around and came back to me. There was an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah. He's there."

I nodded again and exhaled loudly. "You saw him?"

"Yeah."

"Was… Was he with anyone? A girl?"

"Uh…" She hesitated. "Well, he was, but –"

I put my head down in my arms and a shot of pain drove itself through my chest, impaling me. I couldn't cry, I couldn't cry, I couldn't cry…

"Annabeth! Lemme finish! There was a guy, too!"

I lifted my head back up and looked at her in confusion. I sure as Hades hoped she wasn't insinuating what I _thought_ she was insinuating…

She looked back at me, confused as well. Then realization dawned on her pretty features. "Oh." She reddened. "Oh, _gods_, Annabeth! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Piper, what if he doesn't remember me?"

"Well, what if Jason has a girlfriend?"

"What?"

Piper shifted a little uncomfortably. "Look, Annabeth. We've both got a problem here. We both might lose the guy we love today. Both of them might have other girlfriends. But you've got an advantage here, Annabeth! Percy already loved you once! You've both never dated anyone else."

"Not true," I muttered. "He dated the stupid mortal." Piper looked confused. "I mean, Rachel," I corrected myself.

Her eyes widened. "Percy dated _Rachel_?"

I nodded miserably.

"Uh, guys? It's been like two and a half minutes. Can we hurry this up a little?"

I glared at Grover and he backed up a couple of steps. "Give us a minute…"

He backed up again, muttering, "Okay, okay… Crazy…"

Piper seemed to still be trying to digest the fact that Percy and the Oracle had once had a relationship, but she shook her head and said, "Annabeth, you need to go down there with Jason." Her voice cracked a little on his name. "Just…put him out of your mind. Don't look for him. You're here on business – to aid Camp Jupiter against the giants and Gaea. That's all that matters right now. We'll sort Percy out later, all right?"

"Right." I tried to sound convincing, but the tremor in my voice didn't help.

Carefully, I stood up and made my way to the other side of the _Argo II_. "Jason?" I called. Jason came to stand next to me. I pulled him around by his arm so that he was standing to my right and I prepared to get off of the ship, my heart practically vibrating in my chest.

**Percy's POV**

"What's taking so long?" muttered Frank beside me.

I shrugged. "Dunno."

It had been about five minutes since there had been a call saying that the camp leader needed a minute. That was something that stumped me: who was the camp leader? I assumed that since Jason was the second praetor and most respected demigod at Camp Jupiter and we had been traded, that I had been his equal at Camp Half-Blood. Shouldn't that make _me_ the camp leader? Although it obviously made sense that I would have been replaced – I _had_ been gone eight months – I couldn't think of anyone who would have been made camp leader.

Maybe it was Clarisse… I sure hoped not, but she had the force and power to be a decent representative for the camp, I had to admit. Michael Yew might have been good for the job if it weren't for the fact that everyone thought he was as annoying as his father. Beckendorf would have made a perfect camp leader, but…well… Travis or Connor Stoll? …Oh gods no. _Of course,_ I told myself, _you pretty much replaced Jason with the Romans. Maybe _he_ replaced _you _at Camp Half-Blood. _

I didn't like that thought and I noticed a little hurt at that thought. Just a pang. But after all, I had taken Jason's spot as praetor. If I had been a replacement for him, shouldn't it only be fair that he got to be my replacement? Wouldn't that mean that only Jason would have to leave the ship though? That would be risky… Negotiations wouldn't work that way, whether you were Greek or Roman or Scandinavian.

I felt stupid when I saw who was _obviously _the camp leader walking with Jason down the rough wooden plank propped up between the ship and the ground. She should have been my first guess. But those thoughts didn't really fully register with me for a few moments. Her face… Her eyes… I remembered them – I'd never _stopped_ remembering them.

She didn't glance my way, or anywhere besides Reyna. It didn't really make sense that I wasn't standing next to the other praetor; I should have been with her to meet my friends. But I stayed at the back with Frank and Hazel, simply staring at the boy who must've been Jason and the angel that must've been Annabeth. There were a few gasps from the crowd of Romans around me at the sight of her walking off of the _Argo II_. They began to murmur to their friends, "_That's_ their camp leader?"

"She looks so…young!" I heard from somewhere to my left.

"She's kind of…worse for wear." I scowled a little but had to agree. Her hair was spilling out of a messy ponytail in a mass of blonde curls. Her orange camp shirt was a little wrinkled at the bottom like she might have slept in it. Her sneakers were scuffed and dirtier than the last time I'd seen them, when they'd been almost brand-new. Her stormy gray eyes seemed a little dull, disinterested. What worried me most, though, was her body. She looked about ten pounds thinner than she had before I'd been taken away, maybe more. She had deep shadows under her eyes like she'd gotten little or no sleep for months.

"Yeah, but she's _totally_ hot!" Someone just in front of me said kind of loudly. I scowled deeper at that.

"You're right… Think she'd go out with me?"

"She _is_ pretty…" Hazel murmured next to me. "Do you know her, Percy?"

"You bet I do," I said a little breathlessly. "That's Annabeth."

Both Frank and Hazel turned to me, their eyes wide. "_That's_ Annabeth?" Frank said, shocked. I nodded numbly.

"Oh, Perce. She's beautiful," Hazel said sweetly, looking at Annabeth.

"Yeah… She is." My brain felt like it had kind of turned to mush until she spoke.

"I hope you're not expecting us to just drop Jason off and run, Praetor Reyna," she said in a calm, determined voice. It was beautiful, and almost not at all like I'd remembered it. It was softer and sweeter, but with an overall edge that showed off her independent, sturdy side. What spoke to me the most, of course, was the sarcasm. I remembered Annabeth clearer now than I ever had, and the sarcasm told me that she hadn't changed. I couldn't have been happier, knowing that.

I could hear the smile in Reyna's words as she replied in her most welcoming tone, "Of course not, Leader Annabeth. Actually, as I'm sure you know, we're sort of dependent upon your help now. I thank you for offering your services to our own forces. And please, just call me Reyna."

"I understand, Reyna. And call me Annabeth. It's no trouble helping you – this is our war too: Hera – Juno – has made it ours, as well."

I heard Reyna sigh. "It seems that she has." She turned to Jason, who stood a little to Annabeth's right. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning that had been forbidden to go near the tree until his parents had woken up and it was still five a.m. He was practically jumping up and down, obviously wanting to socialize with his friends, to catch up with old acquaintances. I knew how he felt, but somehow, mesmerized by Annabeth's face, I told myself only half-sarcastically, I couldn't make myself run to the ship to try to find Grover or Travis or Connor. "Hello again, Jason. We've missed you. How have you been?" Her tone was formal, but I could hear the excitement hidden behind it at meeting her friend and fellow praetor again.

"I've been good, Reyna. I've got almost all my memory back!" he grinned, excited to be talked to. "It's been great being with the Greeks, but it's better to be home. Who…um… Who was my replacement as praetor?"

Octavian made a sort of "hmph" noise of contempt, crossed his arms and turned away from Jason. I saw Jason let out a sigh of relief. Annabeth lifted an eyebrow, looking between Jason and Octavian.

"Jason, do you know Percy Jackson?" Reyna said jokingly.

Annabeth's eyes got wide, but she seemed to be forcing herself to keep her gaze on the people in front of her.

"Well, I've certainly heard a lot about him," Jason smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Can I meet him?" He started looking around.

"Sure." Reyna turned around, skimming with her eyes through the small crowd behind her. "Oh, there he is," she said when I raised my hand tentatively. Annabeth didn't look at me, but her eyes widened a little more. Her expression was unreadable, which upset me: I was usually always able to read her expression. She might have been a conundrum to those around us, but never me. I was her best friend, if nothing else. I _knew_ her. But I couldn't guess what she was feeling. Her eyes were wide, her whole frail body was stiff and trembling, just the slightest bit. I walked forward.

"Hey, man," I greeted Jason with a smile and a handshake.

He grinned back. "Hi, Percy. Nice to meet you. You look good in the praetor's toga," he joked.

I grimaced. "Yeah… It'll be yours again, though, don't worry. I'm not here to replace you."

He chuckled. "It's no problem. Thanks for taking my place when I couldn't be here."

"Well, your friends are nice. And all of us obviously have a war to prepare for now."

His expression turned grim. "Yeah. Can't forget about that."

I got the pun and smiled wryly. Then something occurred to me. "Hey, did Reyna say that your name is Jason _Grace_?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Yes…"

I searched his face for any resemblance. "You can't be… _Thalia's_ brother?"

His expression cleared and he laughed. "Yeah, we were all surprised."

"But me, most of all!" said a voice from the ship. A girl with jaggedly cropped black hair and piercing blue eyes peeked her face up around the ship's walls.

"Thalia!" I said in surprise. She ran off the ship and wrapped her arms around me, barely giving me enough breathing time to prepare.

"Hey, cousin. Don't leave again. Got it?"

I grinned. "I missed you too, Thalia."

"Thalia, I thought you were all supposed to stay on the boat…" Jason warned.

She let go of me and I felt my lungs expand. "Yeah, well, I mean no disrespect, but everyone on the ship is too tired, hungry and seasick to stay in the ship for too long. We all need to stretch our legs, especially the Hunters."

I turned towards Reyna. "Have they passed your trust test?" I asked jokingly.

She smiled lightly. "Your friends seem amicable. Peaceable, at least. How about we get everyone off of the ship and we can arrange tour groups, then lunch?"

I nodded. I was about to turn to Annabeth and try to get her away for a minute, but she'd already breezed past me and was almost to the ship again. "I'll arrange groups." She climbed up the plank and onto the ship to begin explaining what would be going on. She was avoiding me? Did she think I just didn't care anymore? That maybe I'd found someone else? But I could never have done that! But maybe… Had _she_ found someone else? Maybe… Did she like Jason now? Or another camper? Had she moved on while I'd been gone? It seemed reasonable… Confused and hurt, I helped Reyna appoint tour guides from the Roman campers behind us.

Groups of about four campers began to stumble off of the _Argo II._ I was pleased when only a few faces needed thought to remember them. Grover was off of the ship first with Katie, Connor and Travis. Grover tackled me. "Hey, Percy! Gods, we've been worried! You okay?"

"Yeah, G-man, it's been fine!" I turned around and gestured for Frank and Hazel to come and stand by me. "Grover, this is Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque."

"Nice to meet you, Grover," Hazel said nicely.

"Hey, Grover," Frank greeted, a little self-conscious.

"Hey," Grover said, smiling at them.

"Frank! Hazel! You're leading groups two and five," Reyna called from behind us.

"We'll have to swap embarrassing Percy stories later then," Grover laughed. "See you guys." They waved, smiling, and went to their groups. "Hey…Perce?" Grover asked tentatively. "Have you talked to Annabeth yet…?"

"No…" I admitted. "I'm – I think she's avoiding me. I think she's mad at me."

"Mad? No, she's just really missed you, I'm sure…" but he didn't look so sure. "She's been worried…"

"Well, we'll talk later, okay? You and me. I'll…try to go and find her."

"Okay. See you."

I was hugged again by Katie and Travis and Connor, just trying to amuse themselves. I shook hands with Michael, Pollux, Clarisse, Chris Rodriguez, and I met with the new kids, Piper and Leo. Leo was interesting and funny, with a goofy sense of humor that reminded me of a younger self. Piper seemed nice, but she was obviously distracted and upset, always glancing over my shoulder at someone else. I complimented Leo again on how well the _Argo II _had come out and they went off into their group.

As soon as everyone was wondering around the camp with a Roman guide, I made my way up to the ship. One person had never come down. I quietly walked across the deck, looking for her.

I heard the soft sounds of someone crying from behind a large mast.

"Annabeth?"

"Just go, Grover. I'm fine. I'll be fine." Her voice shook with sobs.

"Um… I'm not Grover…"

She spun quickly around and gaped at me. She started wiping at her eyes, sweeping the tears off of her face. "Gods…" she murmured. Her eyes were now red, and she'd missed a tear on her left cheek, about to slide off. Hesitantly, I took a few steps closer and wiped it off. She looked down at my toga.

"You okay?"

She lifted her eyes to mine. "Do you know who I am?" she asked quietly.

Surprised, but wanting to make Annabeth feel better, I answered, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

She blushed a little bit, but her eyebrows furrowed. "But do you know who I _am_?" she insisted.

"You're Annabeth. The beautiful daughter of Athena. Heroine of Olympus. My best friend. You're the person I've missed more than anything, Wise Girl."

Her eyes widened impossibly. "You _remember_," she whispered. "You remember…" A tear slid down her face. "YOU REMEMBER?" She took a step back.

"Uh…Annabeth?" She looked…angry. Oh gods. Why was she angry?

"You remember? You jerk!" Suddenly, she lunged out with her fist and punched me in the stomach. She spun around like she was going to walk away but just stood there with her arms crossed. Winded, I couldn't do anything but wait for her to say something.

"Ow," I managed after a moment.

"Oh, that didn't hurt," Annabeth scoffed. "You're invulnerable, remember?"

"Not anymore," I muttered.

She turned back around to face me, her arms still crossed. "What?"

"I'm not invulnerable anymore and that _hurt_," I rubbed my bruising abdomen.

Tears filled up her eyes again and she rushed at me, throwing her arms around my waist and hugging herself tightly to me. "I was so worried, you idiot. And then I thought you wouldn't remember. I thought you'd have a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend?" I asked in surprise. "But I already _have_ a girlfriend!" Then her words rearranged to form another meaning in my head. "Right…?"

She nodded into my chest. "I've missed you so much, Seaweed Brain."

"I missed you too," I murmured, wrapping my arms around her and putting my head in her hair. I kissed the top of her head and I felt her smile.

"Do me a favor?" she asked.

"Anything," I responded.

"Never get kidnapped again."

I laughed. "I'll sure try my hardest. Practice stranger danger and everything."

She chuckled and brought her face up to mine. "I love you," she whispered.

I held her tighter to me. "I love you more."

**Annabeth's POV**

I was stunned that Percy had remembered me. Sure, Jason had began to get his memories back after his first couple of months at Camp Half-Blood, but Percy always made things more difficult. This could have been one of those times. I was surprised at his lack of a girlfriend, too, but obviously glad. I found myself realizing that I'd never thought that he _wouldn't_ have a girlfriend. That he _wouldn't_ have moved on.

After we finally left the ship, hand-in-hand, we walked to where everyone had sat down in the middle of a field by a river for a picnic lunch. Percy said he wanted to introduce me to some new friends.

"Annabeth, this is Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque," he named the two people in front of us. "Frank, Hazel, this is Annabeth Chase, my girlfriend."

I blushed with pride and smiled. "Hi," I greeted.

"Hi, Annabeth," Frank said in a plain, friendly manner. He seemed to only have eyes for his girlfriend who seemed to only have eyes for Percy and I.

"Oh, Annabeth! You and Percy are so cute! I'm _so_ glad you're back together. We've heard so much about you!"

In honest surprise, I asked, "You have?"

"Well yeah! Percy's told us lots of stuff!"

"He did?" I looked up at him and I saw him shrug self-consciously, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Of course, Annabeth!" To my shock and deep euphoria, Hazel told me, "You're the one thing he never forgot."

**A/N: I know, I know… EVERYBODY and their brother has done a reunion scene for Percabeth. But don't they deserve one? ;D I couldn't resist… Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. I'm in a real Percy kick right now after reading Son of Neptune, and I'm so HYPED! I think I'm going to read the whole series again. For…the third time? Lol I'm hopeless… ^ ^' REVIEW AND I'LL…UM… TAKE FANFICTION REQUESTS! Yeah… **

**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own anything. ANYTHING. **


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